NEW YEARS EDITION
That is right, this is the last blog post for 2013 as tomorrow is New Year's Eve. No plans for me except maybe staying at home and watching some TV ... or maybe playing on the computer, I don't yet but it will be something exciting like that! You know the holidays as of late have been nothing but disappointing and just plain nothing to me ... they are just another day that you wake up to, do something in the middle and then fall asleep ... rinse and repeat. Some days you look forward too but the last three "holidays" ... not so much at all. Might also have something to do with the weather since it has been nothing short of a terrible summer, getting close to the 90's on one day but hanging in the low 80's. Just doesn't feel like it.
Weekly Update:
What a long and tiring week it has been ... my hands are sore from it being so hot and dry, the skin is cracking and killing me. Been using lotion but I guess I need to keep applying it. I don't know what is wrong with this weather because it is literally summer time that I had to turn on the AC at least twice. This is both very perplexing and disturbing, never have I seen a winter like this. Sure there have been winter days in Cali where it was warm but not summer warm and not for this many days. I think we got fog one night but that is it so far. The nights have been cold though, in the 50's but they should be colder and with rain! Plus it helps with our water supply and vegetation if it cool and cold with water ... we need it! RAIN, where art thou!!?
I hope the new year brings more seasonal weather otherwise 2014 will start off as crappy as 2013 ended.
At the movies:
Breathing fire at the top for the third week in a row is "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" earning an additional 29.9 million for the weekend and now is just shy of hitting the 200 mil mark domestic. It should hit that number by this coming Friday since it is that close and you throw in the last holiday for the year/first holiday of the year. Getting a big bump is "Frozen" earning another 28.9 mil in its 6th week! This is about to hit the 250 mil mark and could easily gain another 100 mil plus before its through! Good hold for its 2nd week is "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" with an extra 20.2 mil as it gets close to 100 mil itself. Slight bump up and holding #4 is "American Hustle" with 19.6 mil extra and of course a lot of award season buzz with this film. Rounding off the top 5 is The Wolf of Wall Street with its 3 hour run time isn't keeping people away as it earns 18.5 mil for the weekend (34.3 since Christmas) and my guess wasn't too far off for the 5-day!
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Several this week and to be honest, not surprising at all. New at #7 is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty which I was very reluctant on and it comes in with 13 mil (25.6 mil for the 5-day). Was very close to predictions on this but it will fall short of its price tag. At #9 is the feudal Japan fantasy film 47 Ronin with 9.9 mil (20.6 for 5-day). Again another movie with an incredible price tag that will fall VERY short of. New at 11 is Grudge Match with only 7.3 mil (13.4 mil for the 5-day). As predicted at 15 mil, came a little short. And finally at #14 is Justin Bieber's Believe with 2 mil to open (4.3 for the 5-day) and ... my thought on his tweet's about retiring from music prior to the film's release ... 1) he wanted to get people to see the film since it will be the "last" time you will see him OR 2) his voice is changing and so will his style of music if he can even continue to sing. Those are my two theories and either way we win.
Quote of the week:
"It is not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do that is the secret of happiness." - James M. Barrie
Facts & Tips:
It took the first man to walk around the world four years, three months and 16 days to complete his journey.
"You think you can do anything you want and then lie about it and we just have to take it, because what are we? Just a bunch of kids. Well not this time. From now on we're doin' this our way. No lyin', no cheatin', fair is fair." - Helen Slater as Billie Jean in "The Legend of Billie Jean."
CHRISTMAS EDITION
I know it isn't Christmas yet but this will be the last blog till post X-mas but pre-New Year. So by default it becomes the Christmas Edition ... although it has really has nothing to do with Christmas other than the fact I use the words Christmas and X-Mas. But lately the only thing I enjoy about this holiday are the lights ... they are a nice distraction and something shining to stare at. Oh, there is a street near my house that have strung lights in the street between the trees on both sides. I need to head over there soon before X-Mas and take a couple of pictures. I am not sure why I didn't the first time I drove by it and have forgotten since then! I will make it a point to do that tomorrow night, I just hope I don't forget again.
Weekly Update:
A little bit of a busy week with some driving here and there but not too crazy. I did get to head over to the Paramount Studio lot for a screening. But what made the night cooler was the awesome holiday lights they had put up on the lot and the food post screening, FOOD TRUCKS! I do enjoy the gourmet food trucks and they had three of them, all free of course. I only got to try 2 of the 3 because the third truck, Grilled Cheese, had a line that never went away and by the time I finished the first two, I was full! But the two trucks I got to try were Grill 'Em All and Kogi. I have heard of both trucks before, especially the Kogi truck and so happy to have finally tried them both. The Grill 'Em All truck was great, had a burger and the flavor and juiciness of the burger was perfect. On to the Kogi truck ... this is a fusion of Korean and Mexican so basically Korean style meats and veggies in a Mexican style delivery method ... the taco/tortilla. If anyone knows me, they know I have a huge hatred of cabbage. To me they server no purpose but to absorb all the flavor into oblivion on anything you put it on. It is a flavor sponge but it doesn't retain the flavor of what it absorbs but simply makes it go away. But when I tried the Kogi with the short rib meat and the seasoned cabbage on top of that, it was truly amazing! I would eat it again and again.
At the movies:
It was a battle at the box office but the victory goes to ... "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" for the 2nd week in a row with 31.5 million as it zooms passes the 100 mil cume, on its way to a possible 300 mil domestic. New at #2 in a close 2nd place is Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues with 26.8 mil. It looked very close for this film taking the weekend with early Friday and Saturday numbers but this film should have no problem hitting the 100 mil mark. Holding solid ground at #3 is "Frozen" with 19.2 mil more as this film quickly approaches 200 mil cume. Jumping up to #4 is "American Hustle" with 19.1 mil and strong word-of-mouth which will carry this movie through award season. Rounding off the top 5 is "Saving Mr. Banks" with 9.3 mil, not sure if this film has the legs but should do pretty decent overall.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week and as predicted, Walking with Dinosaurs is extinct with a 7.3 mil opening and mediocre word-of-mouth. This film will struggle through the holiday season and lucky if it sees 50 mil. This film will need to pick up in foreign but should do well in the home market. It will need it too with its 80 mil budget price tag and estimated 15 mil P&A fund.
Quote of the week:
"There are three stages of man: he believes in Santa Claus; he does not believe in Santa Claus; he is Santa Claus." - Bob Phillips
Facts & Tips:
Hippos can open their mouths 180 degrees.
"Hi, excuse me, sorry. Has anyone seen a nun? A Carmelite nun? No? Sure? OK, thanks." - Kathy Najimy as Sister Mary Patrick in "Sister Act."
Some weird weather patterns this week as the days got a lot warmer (for this time of year) and went up to the 70's but then the nights they dropped well below 50. We are not use this kind of weather extremes and usually just maintain an average of 60 between the day and night. No clue what is going on lately! But Saturday was pretty crazy! I was in the valley sort of area and the winds were so strong that it made it feel like it was freezing! I was outdoors the entire time for a golf tournament (not playing but taking pictures for the charity event) and boy was it so cold! I only brought a light jacket because when I left the house, it was cool and crisp. An hour and a half later arriving at the location, FREEZING and windy! I usually keep two jackets in my car but this one time I forgot and leave the heavy one at home by accident!
Weekly Update:
The week started pretty quiet but then on Sunday a lot of sad news came in as Hollywood lost four people this week. That in itself is odd because there is that strange rule (and coincidence) "rule of three" meaning that celebrities seem to all pass away in threes within a very short time frame. Of course that is not always the case but very often it is! Last Monday, actress Eleanor Parker who was best known as the Baroness in the original film version of "The Sound of Music" passed away at the age of 91.
Then Thursday (but wasn't announced till Sunday) was both film director and star Tom Laughlin who portrayed 'Billy Jack' of the same title movies. He was 82.
Sunday we were hit with a double whammie of two screen legends. Sunday morning it was announced that Oscar Winner and film legend Peter O'Toole passed away in London on Saturday. O'Toole is best known for playing Lawrence in "Lawrence of Arabia" along with other classics such as "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," "The Lion in Winter," "Man of La Mancha" and "My Favorite Year" to name but just a few. He was also in one of my favorite war films "Zulu Dawn." O'Toole was 81.
Last but certainly not least is film actress Joan Fontaine who was the younger sister to Olivia de Havilland. She starred in "Rebecca," "Suspicion" and one of my classic favorites, "Ivanhoe." Fontaine was 96.
At the movies:
As
predicted, #1 at the box office is the 2nd (and unnecessary)
installment of the Hobbit series with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
coming in with a nice 73.7 million. Word-of-mouth is luke-warm on the
film as many thought it didn't hold up as the first film but then you
have to realize that all three of these films they are making could be
one epic film if they were true to the book. Just shy of my 80 mil
prediction but this film will carry regardless and should hit 100 mil
possibly by Friday but by end of day of Friday the latest. Holding good
ground at #2 is "Frozen" with an extra 22.8 mil as it makes its way to
the 200 mil domestic cume. New at #3, and below expectations, is Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas with 16.2 mil. Still enough to be a
profitable film when it will be all said and done. Dropping down to #4
is "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" with 13.2 mil as it struggles to climb
to 400 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Thor: The Dark World" with 2.7
mil and just about tap'd out but it will break the 200 mil cume mark for
sure.
Quote of the week:
"By our pupils we are taught." - Oscar Hammerstein II
Facts & Tips:
Flamingos can only eat with their heads upside down.
"Where's your sweat gathering?" - Billy Bush interviewing Alec Baldwin on "Access Hollywood."
This day in history ...
On Saturday, it marked the 72nd Anniversary of the attack on US forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by the Japanese Imperial Navy which brought the US officially into World War II. Early dawn in Hawaii, which was in the early evening on the US East Coast, airplanes from the Imperial Japanese Navy left six different aircraft carries and bombed US ships and air forces while idle. Many theories exist that he US knew that the attack would happen to bring the US into the war which I do believe in. The reason for these is the ships were lined up for aerial attack saying it was to protect them from submarines. The US aircraft carries were conveniently out to see on maneuvers with other more modern ships. The ships were lost were basically World War I vessels and on the verge of being scrapped in my opinion. Let's take a look at the four capital ships that were sunk:
*USS Oklahoma - built in 1914
*USS Arizona - built in 1915
*USS California - built in 1919
*USS West Virginia - built in 1921
These were not new ships and most had action in World War I, they were unfortunately slow and inefficient for that time period.
Weekly Update:
The world lost a revered and renowned statesmen. The leader of South Africa, Nelson Mandela passed after battling illness the past several months. He was once a political prisoner of the country he eventually became President of. Several movies have been made about the man, his country and what he has done for the world. He was beloved not just in South Africa but around the world. He help unite a country separated by color and was respected by all. He never sought revenge for his incarceration but refers to it often as he learned from other's mistakes and not just his own. Nelson is probably one of the most quotable people of our generation and more to come. He passed on Thursday at the age of 95.
At the movies:
As predicted, "Frozen" chills out the box office with the #1 spot this week for it's 2nd week earning a nice 31.6 mil in what is traditionally a slow box office weekend. This brings the new Disney film to a 134 million cume and will definitely hit 200 by the end of the year if not sooner. Out of the top spot but still holding a solid 2nd place is "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" with another 27 mil and now over 337 mil domestic cume. The drop off may be pretty substantial this coming weekend though so it could fall shy of 400 mil cume, but we will see. New at a VERY distant #3 is Out of the Furnance with only 5.3 mil (as predicted) and seems like a throw-away title anyway. Still in the top 5 is "Thor: The Dark World" taking 4th this week with 4.7 mil more and now at 193 mil cume. It should break 200 before the year end though. At #5 for one more week is "The Delivery Man" which turns out to be more drama than comedy than the ad campaign led us to believe. This film delivers another 3.8 mil and should wrap up pretty soon.
Quote of the week:
"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again." - Nelson Mandela
Facts & Tips:
Beavers have orange teeth.
"There are more fools in this world than people. So back off, cuz." - Terry Crews as Hale Caesar in "The Expendables."
Post Turkey-Day Edition
Thanksgiving was this past Thursday and it was pretty quiet for me. Didn't do much but the weekend right after just flew by. Wasn't because of anything particular and I did not do any "black Friday" shopping but it just flew by. Each year you see the video and reports of the stupidity and inconsideration of people on that day and it continues to amaze and astonish me. We have evolved to become worse, of course there are those few out there who are considerate and will help but the odds are against you. It is pretty dang sad.
Weekly Update:
For me the week was pretty calm ... but for the world, instant tragic on Saturday. Actor Paul Walker of the "Fast and the Furious" fame was killed in a horrific car accident. Story is still unfolding but he was the passenger in a friend's car and it lost control and hit a tree or pole, caught fire and exploded almost instantly killing both driver and passenger. Walker has been in many other films including the Disney family classic "Eight Below" and one film I actually worked on "Into the Blue" opposite Jessica Alba. I never had the pleasure of meeting Paul but everyone I know that had the pleasure has nothing but amazing and inspirational things to say about the man. He is said to have always kept spirits high and stopped to say hi to you. Another memorable movie was "Pleasantville" where that may be close to his personality of the young and promising high school hometown captain and star. He was only 40.
At the movies:
A very nice holiday box office as "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" manages to hold on to the #1 spot for the 2nd week in a row earning 74.5 million and now just shy of 300 mil cume for domestic box office. It should reach the 300 mark probably ... in a day! The drop was fair and lower than the norm, however decent considering that most saw the film opening week. New at #2, and with great word-of-mouth, is Disney's Frozen earning a huge 93.4 mil for the holiday weekend. With the strong positive reviews, this film should have a good 2nd week. Slight drop to #3 is "Thor: The Dark World" with another 11.1 mil as it closes in the 200 mil threshold. Slight drop to #4 is "The Best Man Holiday" earning another 11.1 mil as well. Rounding off the top 5 is Homefront earning only 9.8 mil for it's first 5-days, not really a great movie to bring into a holiday stretch and the box office reflects that.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one in wide release as Black Nativity comes in at #8 with only 5 mil and a bit too early if you ask me, probably should have waited a week and get some more distance from "The Best Man Holiday."
Quote of the week:
"Plan for the future because that's where you are going to spend the res
t of your life." - Mark Twain
Facts & Tips:
The pineapple is a very big berry.
"Helm ready, Captain." - George Takei as Sulu in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home."
What a long and tiring week it has been ... my hands are sore from it being so hot and dry, the skin is cracking and killing me. Been using lotion but I guess I need to keep applying it. I don't know what is wrong with this weather because it is literally summer time that I had to turn on the AC at least twice. This is both very perplexing and disturbing, never have I seen a winter like this. Sure there have been winter days in Cali where it was warm but not summer warm and not for this many days. I think we got fog one night but that is it so far. The nights have been cold though, in the 50's but they should be colder and with rain! Plus it helps with our water supply and vegetation if it cool and cold with water ... we need it! RAIN, where art thou!!? 
At the movies:
Several this week and to be honest, not surprising at all. New at #7 is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty which I was very reluctant on and it comes in with 13 mil (25.6 mil for the 5-day). Was very close to predictions on this but it will fall short of its price tag. At #9 is the feudal Japan fantasy film 47 Ronin with 9.9 mil (20.6 for 5-day). Again another movie with an incredible price tag that will fall VERY short of. New at 11 is Grudge Match with only 7.3 mil (13.4 mil for the 5-day). As predicted at 15 mil, came a little short. And finally at #14 is Justin Bieber's Believe with 2 mil to open (4.3 for the 5-day) and ... my thought on his tweet's about retiring from music prior to the film's release ... 1) he wanted to get people to see the film since it will be the "last" time you will see him OR 2) his voice is changing and so will his style of music if he can even continue to sing. Those are my two theories and either way we win.
Facts & Tips:
